christie vetoed a bill that would have started the process. instead, leaving the implementation up to the federal government. christie says the federal government failed to provide the answers he needed to make a fiscally sound decision. the move came after christie met with the president at the white house to discuss federal disaster relief. the state health insurance exchange is a key component to the obama care. it allows millions of middle class households as well as small businesses to shop for private insurance. states must decide by next friday if they want to set up their own exchange. they will -- they were allowed more time to mull over the decision after many republican governors delayed action. perhaps expecting a different outcome to the presidential election. new jersey is just the latest state with a republican governor to opt for the federal government to step in and create the exchange. let's turn to former vermont governor howard dean and former chairman of the dnc and contributor to cnbc. governor dean, good to have you with